Information for parents booklet 2024 / 2025
Nursery places in Swansea
In Swansea all primary schools, including Welsh-medium schools, provide part-time nursery education. Children can access a part time nursery place from the start of the term after they have turned 3, or the day after their 3rd birthday, and depending on the provision and availability of places at a school. Nursery provision is non-statutory which means that parents can decide whether or not they want to take up a nursery place for their child. You can submit an application for a place at your catchment school or any other school for which you may have a preference. It is not always possible for children to be admitted to a nursery class within the catchment area for their home address or your preferred school. If there is not a place available in the nursery provision your child's name will be placed on a waiting list. There is no right of appeal against the refusal to offer a nursery place in a specific school.
The LA, as the admitting authority, maintains waiting lists for oversubscribed schools. For all admissions, where parents / carers are refused a place for their child/ren they are automatically placed on the waiting list.
It is important to note that children attending the nursery class of a school will not have an automatic right of admission to full time education in Reception at the same school. Parents will need to apply for a place in Reception along with other applicants.
Attending the nursery class in a primary school does not guarantee your child a place in the Reception class at the school. If a school is oversubscribed, places are allocated in accordance with the LA's admission arrangements and oversubscription criteria.
For full details of Swansea Council's nursery admissions policy and oversubscription criteria please refer to www.swansea.gov.uk/nurseryschooladmissionarrangements. The admission policy and oversubscription criteria for entry into Reception can also be found on www.swansea.gov.uk/primaryschooladmissionarrangements.
Parents may wish to visit schools before they make a decision about which school they wish to apply for and visits to school should be arranged directly with the headteacher of the relevant school. The names, addresses and telephone numbers of all schools are on pages www.swansea.gov.uk/schoolcontactdetails. School websites also provide useful information about schools, as does the Welsh Government website: www.gov.wales/my-local-school-guide.
How to apply for a nursery place
Once you have decided which school you would like to apply for please contact the school directly to request an application form.
When completing the form the pupils current main residential address should be used (not the address of grandparents, other family members or childminders). For more detailed information regarding the home address, please refer to Important information to consider prior to making an application.
Information on accessing childcare in Swansea and the 30 hour funded childcare offer can be obtained from the Family Information Service here: www.swansea.gov.uk/childcareoffer
The administration of nursery applications is delegated to primary schools, however the local authority as the admissions authority maintains and oversees the admission arrangements for nursery.